


I'd Follow You To The Ends of the Earth

by singing_to_empty_caves



Series: That's What Bein' A Friend Is About [5]
Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings
Genre: Cold, Snowman, and ninten will (hopefully) get over his obsession with her hat, in the next one we'll actually meet ana, lloyd may be on his way to... uh something, ninten's asthma is worse in the cold, part one of two, that's not good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22260784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singing_to_empty_caves/pseuds/singing_to_empty_caves
Summary: Ninten sometimes seems eccentric. Most of the time, actually. It's up to Lloyd to decide if it's worth it to follow the boy's whims--especially when it's cold enough that he just might freeze solid.
Relationships: Lloyd & Ninten (Mother 1)
Series: That's What Bein' A Friend Is About [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524248
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	I'd Follow You To The Ends of the Earth

Lloyd settled into his train seat next to Ninten, hugging his backpack to his body. Ninten had eagerly requested the window seat while they were at the station, and Lloyd didn’t really care either way, so his friend was firmly planted in the coveted seat and had his face nearly pressed to the glass. 

“We haven’t left the station yet,” Lloyd pointed out.

“Yeah, but this is my first time on a train! There weren’t any tracks in Mother’s Day. I only saw on TV!”

“Oh… so did you travel by car, then?”

“Nah. We don’t have a car.” Ninten retreated from the window. “I just walk places.”

“You don’t mean to tell me you walk _everywhere_ you go?”

Ninten giggled. “Well, why not? Jeez, I knew Mother’s Day was different from Thanksgiving, but I didn’t know ya didn’t walk places!”

“I do! But didn’t you say you don’t actually live in the city?”

“Nope! I live near it, though. Around my house, it’s all bridges and dirt roads.”

“And you just… walk to Mother’s Day? All the time?”

“It’s where the school is. And the store, and the hospital, and the library, and… ya know, everything but my house, really. Oh, and Pippi’s house is outside town, too! But she’s a little closer to all that stuff than I am.”

“Yeah? Are you two friends?” Lloyd asked. He’d never heard about Pippi before.

“Not really. I mostly spend time with my sisters and my dog. Pippi never wanted to play with me… she just wanted to play dress-up, and princesses.” Ninten made a face. “I dunno why she ever thought I’d put on a dress.”

Lloyd imagined Ninten in a dress, and he couldn’t help but giggle a little bit. “You didn’t want to be a princess?”

“Ew! No!” Ninten shouted, drawing stares from the others in the train cabin.

“Keep your voice down! People don’t shout in trains.”

“Oh… sorry,” Ninten said sheepishly, shrinking into himself.

Somewhere from the train, a loud tone sounded.

“NHH DPHHRHTMMG FR SNNMRNNNN.”

Ninten looked over at Lloyd. “What was that?”

“Oh, no one can understand the announcements on these trains. I… think they said we’re leaving for Snowman?”

“Well, good! I was wonderin’.” Ninten looked down at the hat in his hands. “Ya know, I’m really hopin’ that girl hasn’t missed her hat too much. I’d hate for her to be all worried.”

Lloyd nodded with a quiet, “Me too.”

Ninten had initially been determined to track down more of the Weird-ified and the next melody--at least, that was what he said to Lloyd. Something about different places teaching him pieces of a song? The Queen of Magicant needed him to play her song for her, as Ninten had told him. Lloyd wished he knew more about how, exactly, the melodies were connected to the Weird-ified, but Ninten had a tendency to hop over to the next topic like a very energetic rabbit.

However, this new mission didn’t have that same flighty, distracted feeling. Ninten had suddenly changed course, but Lloyd saw the look in his eyes when a stranger at the train station asked them to deliver the hat. It almost looked like Ninten suddenly knew something he’d been trying to figure out for a long time. Lloyd didn’t want to get in the way--especially since Ninten was the one who knew more about how to save the world--but he figured, with the long train ride ahead of them, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.

“Hey, Ninten?”

Ninten looked up. “Yeah?”

“What--”

The train started to crawl along the tracks, and Ninten gasped and glued himself to the window. Lloyd could see his breath fogging on the glass and revealing all the smudges from the people before him. He’d have to make Ninten wash his face when they got to Snowman, because that was _disgusting._

“How fast does this thing go?!” Ninten asked. He sounded far too excited for a ride on a public train.

“On average? 90 miles per hour or so.”

“Whoa!” Ninten laughed, watching the trees disappear into the distance at higher speeds every second.

Lloyd didn’t really know what it was about Ninten that made him so nice to be around. Something about him, the way he acted or the things he said… Ninten made everything seem like an adventure. 

Including returning a hat.

"Hey, Ninten?"

"Yeah?" he replied. His voice was slightly muffled, since his face was still against the glass.

"You seem awfully determined to return that hat. What for?"

The question made Ninten turn around again, which startled Lloyd--but not as much as the look in Ninten's eyes.

"I know that girl," he said, in the most serious tone Lloyd had ever heard him use. "I've never met her before, but when I saw this hat, I knew I needed to find her. I can hear her voice in my head. She'll help us find the melodies and stop the Weird-ified."

Ninten adjusted his own hat, and stared down at their delivery again.

“She’s important… and she needs us to come and get her.”

Lloyd stared at the hat with him, and it almost seemed like Ninten was seeing something completely different.

* * *

“NHW RRRHRVNNG MNNN SNNNRMHHNNN.”

Lloyd glanced over at Ninten to make sure he was getting up, but paused when he noted that Ninten wasn’t looking out the window like Lloyd thought he’d been. Ninten was asleep, with his forehead against the glass and the hat clutched tightly in his hand.

“Ninten?”

Ninten tensed up and groaned softly. It occurred to Lloyd in that moment that he’d never actually seen Ninten wake up. They’d stayed a couple of nights in a hotel in Thanksgiving (no way was Lloyd going to ask his parents to let Ninten stay at their house after the boy had convinced Lloyd to ditch school for who knows how long), but Ninten was always up earlier than Lloyd. He went to bed later, too… how much sleep did Ninten even get? It was no wonder he fell asleep on the train ride.

Lloyd glanced back at the stream of people moving behind them. “Ninten, c’mon. Get up, we’re in Snowman.”

Ninten lifted his head and blinked a few times, looking utterly dazed. Lloyd noted how his eyes were swollen and pink from his odd nap, and he already wished he could’ve let Ninten stay asleep.

“Sorry, Lloyd…” Ninten rubbed his eyes and pulled himself to his feet using the seat in front of him. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep, honest.”

“It’s okay,” Lloyd said quickly. “You look like you need more rest. Why don’t we pay for a hotel room now, and then you can nap for a while before we find some food?”

“We’ll do all that later. This girl needs her hat.”

Ninten gently nudged Lloyd forward, and Lloyd found himself startled enough to just go with it. Ninten’s dedication to this whole hat thing hadn’t quite settled right with him, especially considering how suddenly he’d changed his demeanor.

“Do we even know where she is?”

“We’ll find out.”

Lloyd stepped off the train and immediately cringed back from the harsh, cold air. It wasn’t too fun to suddenly walk into, especially considering Lloyd had forgotten one particularly essential thing.

“I wish I’d brought a coat,” Lloyd mumbled, wrapping his arms tightly around himself as he started walking.

Ninten froze up next to him--no pun intended, of course. “Aw, I shoulda thought about it. The place is called ‘Snowman’, and neither of us have a coat on.”

“How did you not notice the moment you got off the train?”

“I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about this hat. I dunno why.”

Ninten gave the hat a twirl in his hands, and Lloyd sighed. “Okay, we’ll just have to find a store here and buy coats. Do we have enough money for that?”

“We should, as long as we can find an ATM. We spent lots of money other places, so I don’t have much on me, but there’s way more in my bank account.”

“Your dad really trusts you, huh?”

“Nah, I think he just worries about me. I don’t see him too often.”

Almost like an answer to his own words, Ninten started coughing, and reached into his backpack for his inhaler.

“Kind of funny that you’re the brave, energetic one, and you’ve got asthma,” Lloyd pointed out.

Ninten’s inhaler hissed as it released medication into his lungs, and then he put it away. “Shoulda seen me before I met you! I ran outta medicine, and then one of those trucks gone mad puffed smoke right in my face. I’m real glad someone saw me right after I passed out, or else I’d probably be a lot worse off!”

Lloyd turned and stared at Ninten. “I hope you’re joking.”

“Why would I joke about an asthma attack?” Ninten stared at Lloyd like he was crazy, which was an interesting decision, to say the least.

“You know, you can’t stop the Weird-ified if you die before you figure out what’s making them… _weird._ ”

Ninten shrugged. “I’m not gonna die, Lloyd. Besides that, I’m hopin’ this girl makes the whole journey go a lot quicker--once we’ve got all the melodies, I’m gonna take both of you straight back to Magicant, and Queen Mary’ll tell us what’s goin’ on, once and for all!”

Ninten was risking an asthma attack in the cold over this mystery girl? Lloyd wasn’t sure that was a wise move, especially considering that the only information they really had was that this hat belonged to someone in Snowman. That is, if that was even reliable information.

Lloyd snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that Ninten was beginning to shiver more intensely than before. “We may not even make it to see the girl if you don’t pick up a coat. Hypothermia is real, you know.”

“Right!” Ninten pressed on with a renewed resolve, and Lloyd sighed again as he struggled to march through the snow.

* * *

Ninten and Lloyd walked into the drugstore and shut the door behind them. Lloyd was immensely relieved to feel a space heater warming the air inside the building, but his arms were still wrapped around his body as he shivered.

“Are you two boys out on your own?!” the clerk asked.

“Yeah,” Ninten replied breathlessly, then used his inhaler again.

“You shouldn’t be! Don’t you know that people have been disappearing left and right these days? I’d hate to see a couple of young boys wind up missing because you were wandering around in the cold without your parents. Or _coats._ ”

Before Lloyd knew what was happening, the clerk was ushering them over to the heater. “Now, sit down here where it’s warmest, and I’ll make you both some hot cocoa. And both of you should call your mothers! I’ll let you use the phone once you’re not shivering so much.”

The clerk rushed into another room, and Lloyd looked over at Ninten. His friend’s face was flushed red all over--Lloyd’s own face probably was, too--and there were tiny crystals of ice lying on his cap.

“I can’t c-call my m-mother,” Lloyd said. “Sh-she’s prob-bably m-mad at me.”

Lloyd hadn’t wanted to face his mother, so he’d left her a note on his bed very politely informing her that he was off to save the world with a new friend, but he’d be back once the planet was safe again. He hadn’t mentioned Ninten by name, just in case his mother called the police or something.

“Y-you sh-should anyw-ways,” Ninten said.

“Why?”

“In c-case she’s w-worried ab-bout ya.”

Lloyd hadn’t even thought about that. With all of his paranoia about getting into trouble, he’d failed to realize that his mother was probably worried sick over him.

“The cocoa’s not hot yet, but I brought you a blanket,” the clerk announced as she rushed in and draped a large quilt over both of their shoulders.

“Th-thank you, m-ma’am,” Ninten managed, giving her a grin.

“You can thank me by wearing your coats outside.”

“S-sorry, but y-you see, we can’t d-do that. I’m from M-Mother’s Day, and Lloyd here is f-from Thanksgiving. We took the train here, and w-we left our coats behind.”

“You came here from _Mother’s Day?_ Whatever for?”

Ninten held up the hat he was set on returning. “This hat belongs to s-someone here in Snowman. A girl, probably our age.”

“Well, that’d probably be Ana, but she’s all the way at the other end of town!” The clerk sighed in frustration. “Honestly, you boys could use the help of a girl. She’ll keep you both in check. But in order to get there, you’ll need to stay warm.”

The clerk rushed to the back room and came back with two thick winter coats.

“Now, these coats belong to a couple of boys who… disappeared recently, so I can’t let you keep them, but they aren’t exactly being used right now. You can borrow them, so long as those other boys haven’t come back yet.”

“Gee, thanks!” Ninten exclaimed. “Here, Lloyd, you take the green one. You’d look good in green.”

Lloyd wasn’t sure why, but the compliment from Ninten and the bright smile made him feel something incredibly light and happy inside. “All right. Are you sure you aren’t just saying that because you want the red one?”

“Well, it _does_ match my hat, and my bandana, and my socks--”

“All right, all right! I’ll wear the green coat,” Lloyd laughed. 

“All right, sounds good. But, ya know, I really wasn’t jokin’.”

“...Thanks.”

Ninten shrugged on the red coat, and the clerk sighed. “I’m glad at least one good thing came of the disappearances… have you boys seen anyone vanish?”

“Naw, not a soul,” Ninten replied. “Although, I heard that everyone who disappeared was in Easter for one reason or another.”

“Youngtown?” the clerk asked.

“Wait, is that what it’s called?” Lloyd asked.

“Well, not officially. There are a lot of families there, with very young children--it’s a nickname.” The clerk suddenly looked a lot more worried. “Oh, I hope those parents aren’t missing their kids…”

“It’s okay,” Ninten said. “Lloyd and I are gonna stop all the bad stuff.”

“Awfully ambitious of you to say, ah… what was your name again, sweetie?”

“Ninten. And this is--”

“Lloyd. I heard,” the clerk said, looking amused.

Ninten grinned. “Well, thank you for the coats, ma’am, but we gotta get going now.”

“Ah, ah!” The clerk dashed over to the counter. “Call home first.”

Ninten groaned, but took the phone all the same. 

“Now, I’m going to grab some paper cups for your cocoa, and you let me know when you’re done with the phone. Don’t worry about paying for it.”

The clerk disappeared, and Ninten shrugged at Lloyd with the phone in his hand. Then he looked down again, and dialed home in practiced motions.

“Hey, Mom. ...No, nothing’s wrong. I’m at a drugstore in Snowman, and--...No, no! I’m fine. It’s just cold out, and the saleslady was real worried. ...Yeah, I’ve got medicine, don’t worry. I’ll be back home once I figure out what Great-Grandpa George was talking about. ...I love you too, Mom. Say hi to everyone at home for me! Bye!”

Ninten hung up and handed the receiver to Lloyd. “Your turn,” he said.

Lloyd hesitantly dialed his mom, and… the phone only rang once before she was on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom.”

There was a loud clattering, as if she’d dropped the phone, and then muffled scratching.

“LLOYD DUNHAM, DO YOU HAVE _ANY IDEA_ HOW WORRIED I HAVE BEEN?! THE POLICE ARE LOOKING ALL OVER TOWN FOR YOU! THERE WAS A FIRE AT YOUR SCHOOL, AND YOU DIDN’T COME HOME--”

His mother’s hoarse voice broke into coughs, and Lloyd winced.

“I’m sorry… My friend needs my help.”

His mother’s coughing subsided. Then he heard her sniffle, which was arguably worse.

“Baby, you scared me to death with that note. I have no idea what you were going on about, _saving the planet_ ,” she said. Her voice had gotten a lot weaker, but it was still hoarse. “I’m happy you called, I just need to know where you are…”

“I can’t tell you that right now. But I’m all right, Mom, really. You won’t believe this, but my friend has…”

Lloyd glanced up at Ninten. His friend was staring back at him with wide, sad eyes… what for? Maybe he didn’t want Lloyd to talk about his PSI.

“Has what?”

“Rich parents,” Lloyd said instead. “Very rich, and we’ve been able to buy our own food and stay in hotels. We’re okay.”

“Hotels?! Are you in another city?!”

“Yeah…”

There was a stronger sniffle, and then a horribly loud cough--loud enough that Lloyd saw Ninten’s face grow sadder. Oh… he was sad about Lloyd’s mother.

“Oh, baby… Whatever you do, stay safe for me. You’re just like your father--constantly out exploring…”

“I’ll come home safe, Mom. I promise.”

“I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I--” She coughed again. “I love you, too, sweetie.”

Lloyd hung up and met eyes with Ninten again.

“Ya didn’t tell me your mom was sick. I woulda let you stay back.”

Lloyd sighed. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. We’re going to save the whole world… I can’t stay because of her. She’s been sick for a while, and she’s going to be sick for a lot longer.”

Ninten suddenly wrapped Lloyd up in a tight hug. It was unexpected, and it had never happened before, but… Lloyd really liked the way it felt. Like Ninten really cared. The boy who threw all of himself into everything he did was also putting all of his effort into being a good friend. Lloyd didn’t quite understand it, but his face got just a little bit warmer.

Ninten let Lloyd go. “You’re crazy, ya know that?”

“What, for coming with you?”

“For believin’ in me.”

To Lloyd’s surprise, Ninten now had the same intense expression as when he talked about the hat.

“You coulda left, ya know. I wouldn’t have had any way of keepin’ you from leavin’ with that bottle rocket. You chose to leave home, to help me… even though your mom’s sick and you’re missin’ school.”

Ninten had a point. Lloyd had followed him into the freezing cold, abandoning everything in his life to chase after whatever Ninten was trying to stop.

Lloyd thought over their adventure leading up to Snowman. The failed experiment, the rockets, all the creatures he and Ninten had fought on their way to the train station…

Then he remembered every time he’d doubted Ninten. At first, of course, he’d worried that Ninten was lying. Then there was their one big argument… and had Ninten ever showed him proof that he was telling the truth about the Weird-ified and the melodies?

Lloyd decided he didn’t need proof of the dangers Ninten told him about. Ninten had proven himself as a person, as a _friend_ , enough for Lloyd to trust him--even on things he couldn’t see or understand yet.

“Well, of course I believe in you,” Lloyd replied. “And I followed you for that exact reason.”

Ninten looked touched, and incredibly happy. For what felt like the millionth time, this kid warmed Lloyd’s heart.

“Are you boys done with the phone yet?” the clerk called, entering the room with two steaming cups.

“Oh! Yes, ma’am. Sorry,” Ninten said.

“It’s no problem at all. Now, drink these before they cool, okay?”

“Swear we will,” Ninten told her.

“It was nice meeting you boys. You can come back here for more cocoa anytime, okay?”

“Thank you,” Lloyd said.

“All right, Lloyd, let’s get going! This ‘Ana’ girl’s gotta be waiting for us.”

Lloyd followed Ninten out the door, watching the ribbon on the girl’s hat fly in the winter wind. The hat thing was odd, sure… but he would stick with Ninten. He believed in his friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I like to imagine either the Youngtown music or Paula's theme when Ninten puts on his "serious face".  
> Also, I totally made up Lloyd's last name, but it's only because I couldn't find any info. However, I did research the history of commuter and bullet trains to come up with a number for the train's speed!  
> I finished MOTHER 3 yesterday, and it made me ugly-cry. Maybe you'll see MOTHER 2 or 3 content in the future..?  
> Comments and criticism are always welcome. :)


End file.
